By David Kading, OD
Specialty contact lenses that are custom-made for patients with presbyopia and astigmatism can yield a new stream of revenue and loyal patients.
When my grandfather practiced optometry decades ago, contact lenses themselves were a strong source of revenue. Most ODs didn’t charge to fit the contact lenses because the main contact lens revenue-generator were sales of the lenses. With the advent of disposable soft contact lenses, however, ODs found the greater revenue to be gained was in assessing and measuring the patient’s eyes for the lenses. Add into the mix online contact lens sellers, and this formerly strong source of revenue was significantly weakened. Specialty contact lenses for those with conditions such as astigmatism and presbyopia is a way to tap into an additional contact lens revenue stream. Here is how my practice optimizes a specialty contact lens niche.
David Kading, OD
Specialty Eye
Kirkland and Seattle, Wa.
Two locations;
Three doctors
In practice with wife Kristi Kading, OD, and Katherine Shen, OD
Annual Revenues: $1.3 to $1.4 million
ROI Potential
Fifty-one percent of all my material sales comes from selling custom contact lenses, and 30 percent to 35 percent of the revenues I generate in the contact lens area of my practice stems from serving and selling to specialty contact lens patients. The profitability results from the two- to- three-times higher fitting fees that can be charged for specialty contacts. In addition to the gain to my practice in dollars and cents, each specialty lens patient results in a long-term loyal patient who tends to refer friends and family. Patients in need of specialty contacts tend to search out ODs who market it as a practice niche, and if you are successful at helping them they are likely to enthuse about you to friends and family. When someone mentions that they are looking for a good eye doctor, they are sure to let the person know of their positive experience at our practice.
Cost of Entry
Getting started in specialty contact lenses requires three major expenses. The first is chair time. It takes two to three times longer to examine and fit specialty contact patients than it does other patients. The second major expense is the cost of goods as the specialty contact lenses that you purchase to sell to the patient are more expensive than standard contact lens inventory.
Editor’s note: The ability to provide patients with a thorough stock of specialty contact lenses is easier today than in the past due to companies such as Unilens which, through their C-Vue products, offer doctors a variety of lens options for patients with conditions like presbyopia and astigmatism.
Specialty Contact Lens Inventory Guide
Doctors fitting patients in specialty contact lenses have their choices of many lenses today. One example of these choices is Unilens which offers products such as its HydraVUE Silicone Hydrogel lenses featuring toric multifocal technology, and the ability for the OD to specify base curve, diameter, power, cylinder, axis, ADD power and zone size.
One of the signature lenses in the Unilens HydraVUE silicone hydrogel suite of products is its C•VUE Advanced HydraVUE
Custom Toric. The science of astigmatic lens design technology is now available in the monthly lens for patients with astigmatism in need of specialty lenses. –ROB Editors.
The third big expense is instrumentation. A corneal topographer is the most important investment for serving specialty contact lens patients, and can cost from $10,000 to $20,000. This instrument, however, can be purchased more economically if purchased attached to an auto-refractor or aberrometer. The corneal topographer is a significant cost, but you also have to consider that it will help you reduce chair time with specialty contact lens patients thereby offsetting the cost by allowing you to see more patients.
No OD Certification Required
I completed a residency in cornea and contact lenses as part of my optometric education which serves me well in serving specialty contact lens patients, but this kind of training is not necessary. No certification in specialty lenses is required, however doctors interested in serving specialty contact lens patients should attend optometric meetings on the topic and review clinical literature. You also can reach out to the major contact lens vendors for education on their products and the process of fitting patients in their lenses. I would recommend beginning this niche by fitting just one type of specialty lens and then after you master fitting that one lens, branch out to other custom lens products.
Prepare Your Staff
You’re not the only one in the practice who needs to understand specialty contact lenses. Your staff also must be able to support you. You must carve out time to educate them on the conditions that require specialty contacts. In addition, they have to learn how to work with the laboratories creating the contact lenses to place the orders and then follow-up to make sure the order will be delivered on time and to specifications. At our practice, contact lens technicians are brought into the room while we are fitting specialty contact lens patients so they can better understand the process and the patient’s condition.
Along with the education you as doctor provide, specialty contact lens vendors and suppliers like Unilens, which our practice works with, often are able to provide staff with educational materials about their products, and reps can sometimes visit the practice for in-person instruction.
Prepare Specialty Lens Patients
Besides education on specialty lenses and the fitting process, doctors working with specialty lens patients should be prepared to be patient. These patients usually have very difficult challenges with their eyesight and may have overly high expectations for the results that can be achieved. During the course of the examination, explain to patients that it’s not necessarily what letters they can see on the eye chart but how they see those letters that is the issue.
The patient may be able to read a certain line in the chart, but even with specialty contact lenses, won’t see it the way other patients do. They may be able to read lines they couldn’t read before but may still see those lines with shadows, haloes, glare or general distortion. Those detractions to their vision may be reduced, but may not be able to be entirely eliminated. I might tell the patient: “You will be able to see line 5, which is a significant improvement over what you can see now, but those distortions that are bothering you will still be there to some degree.”
Market Your Specialty Contact Lens Niche
Many specialty contact lens patients arrive at our office referred by another doctor. We have let our community doctors–both ODs and MDs–know that we serve patients with conditions requiring specialty lenses. We have spoken at local optometric societies on the topic, and have reached out to corneal surgeons in our area. We also post information on our web site about these services.
Related ROB Articles and Multimedia
Work with MDs to Treat Ocular Conditions with Specialty Contact Lenses
Tap Profitable Opportunities with Specialty Contact Lenses
Develop a Specialty in Multifocal Contact Lenses
David Kading, OD, is co-owner of Specialty Eye in Kirkland and Seattle, Wa. To contact him: drdave@specialtyeye.com
